


until our dying breath

by veramoray



Series: The Old Guard AU [1]
Category: Little Witch Academia, The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, Historical AU, Immortality, The Old Guard AU, yet another ode to the love affair i have with the EM dash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-04
Updated: 2020-10-04
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:42:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26821588
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/veramoray/pseuds/veramoray
Summary: The remaining days loom heavily over Akko and Diana both, unable to know which death will be their last. This is why each time, Akko begs, to whatever gods there may or may not be, to give Diana back to her just one more time.
Relationships: Diana Cavendish/Atsuko "Akko" Kagari
Series: The Old Guard AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2064990
Comments: 12
Kudos: 66





	until our dying breath

**Author's Note:**

> i've been thinking a lot about joe/nicky from the old guard, and then i thought, but WHAT IF it was diakko... this is what came of that particular self-indulgent brainrot session. big shoutout to Tototops and TracedInAir for being absolutely super and beta-ing this for me!
> 
> sorry in advance :-)

It’s been three long days in the heat of the Nafud desert with no end in sight. They’d barely escaped with their lives after their safehouse in Medina had been stormed by local militia and destroyed. Now they are on the run—not for the first time, and most assuredly not for the last.

Diana pushes the scarf back from her head now that she and Akko are protected in the shadow of an outcropping. _This looks to be a decent place,_ she notes, surveying the area with a careful eye. In front of her, a massive crag rises from the earth, providing a fair coverage of shade due to the steep angle of the sun in the sky.

The scorching sun has been beating down on them since they’d risen at the crack of dawn, anxious to stay ahead of their pursuers. Even taking a break like this puts them at risk of being overtaken. But Diana's feet have been screaming at her for the past hour, and she’d noticed the weary slouch in Akko's posture a mile and a half ago.

The hot, dry air characteristic of the Nafud burns inside Diana's lungs as she treads carefully over the sand. Her eyes flutter closed as a strong desert wind swells, whisking up sand, ruffling her tunic and dhoti trousers. The breeze feels cool on her damp skin, but her relief is short-lived as the cry of her aching muscles reminds Diana of the fatigue that has settled deep in her bones.

Three days in a desert with Akko could do that to a person—immortal or not. But Diana wouldn’t have it any other way.

Peeking over her shoulder, Diana smiles as she spots Akko curiously inspecting something on the side of the cliff face. Thinking of Akko, remembering all they’ve been through over the centuries, fills Diana with reassurance that they will be able to rise even from this unfortunate turn of events.

When a person is immortal, it doesn’t take long for the world to catch on and desire a piece of that immortality for themselves. Except it can not be taken or extracted—only given. And only in the most unique of circumstances. Circumstances which happen once in a millennia, when the stars are aligned just so.

At least, that’s what Akko would say. Diana couldn’t care less about the stars and their plans, as long as Akko remains a part of hers.

They’ve seen it countless times throughout the years. People lay claim to their immortality in the name of science, of humanity, but Akko and Diana both know the unfortunate truth. While humanity’s intentions may be noble, the reality is no one wants to die—or watch as their loved ones leave them behind. What they never seem to realize is that having a limited time on this earth is to be given a gift far more valuable than that of an immortal life.

Living forever can harden even the most compassionate of hearts. It turns the years into sorrow and grief and regret, and keeping hold of hope becomes more difficult each day while seeing history repeat itself over and over again. Watching as civilizations fall and rise from the ashes, only to fall again or be conquered by an even more ruthless leader.

No one _truly_ wants to live forever—they are only afraid of what waits for them after death.

So Akko and Diana run as far as they can, keeping their heads low, interfering only when they can and when the stakes are too high to remain neutral. Even that is dangerous, but what choice do they have? They can only turn their heads so many times to the suffering of others when what they have gives them the privilege to intervene without any consequence but their own.

One secret spilled. A thousand lives saved, and only two immortals at risk. For them, it’s a risk worth taking.

Without noticing, Diana rests her hand atop the slim, curved dagger nestled in the folds of a cloth wrapped tightly around her middle. Ever since they fled Medina, there has been a persistent tightness in Diana’s shoulders. Earlier that very day, she had been so lost in her anxious thoughts that the mere sound of Akko’s voice had startled her. She’d laughed it off then, as Akko told her to “loosen up a little,” but even now she still can’t shake the feeling that something dark is following them.

A ridiculous concern. Something is always following them, no matter where they go or how many years they stay hidden in the shadows. Still though, Diana feels an air of uneasiness lingering around them as she calculates the remaining hours of travel until they reach the next city.

* * *

It’s been nearly three days without a proper meal or a single night of restful sleep. Akko, as usual, is very vocal about her discomfort. Diana is used to her complaining by now, but when she’s reached her limit, she tells Akko as gently as she can to go find something to busy herself with. She tries to keep the impatience from her tone, because she knows her irritation stems only from the situation they’ve found themselves in and not from Akko herself.

Thankfully, Akko takes the hint. She begins distracting herself by unpacking her whetstone and grinding it along the edge of her scimitar. As with everything, though, she quickly grows bored with it. But Diana is still resting, and Akko doesn't want to be a bother, so she leaves to observe the series of markings she’s spotted etched into the side of the cliff.

Meanwhile, Diana continues to massage her aching feet, always keeping one eye trained on the path behind them.

* * *

When Akko returns moments later, it is to the alarming sight of an ambiguous figure looming over Diana, swathed in dark clothing. Her dagger and cutlass have been strewn meters away from her in the sand, and Akko's stomach plummets.

From the looks of it—and the etched silver blade in their hand, slanted towards Diana—they seem to be a seasoned militia veteran. But even still…

How had this person gotten the upper hand on one of the most accomplished warriors to ever grace history? Akko has no idea, especially with how paranoid Diana has been acting, and just the thought makes her blood run cold.

Diana’s fearful eyes flick to hers, and the assailant turns—

Akko ducks back around the cliff a second too late. They’ve seen her. Rushing forward, she unsheathes her own weapon, but suddenly her movement becomes sluggish and difficult. It's like running in a nightmare, she wills her legs to pick up the pace, only to be dragged down by the friction and instability of the accursed sand.

She bolts with everything she has, kicking up dust, feeling hot sand fill her shoes as cold fear ices through her veins. The figure twists around with calculated grace, and she feels a scream building in her throat—

She’s too late.

The enemy whips their blade back in a shining arc, before shoving it precisely through Diana’s ribs so that it pierces into her most vital organ.

And for one single, terrible moment, there is nothing. 

No sound, no motion, no wind to stir the sand at their feet. Just Diana, frozen, with the sword in her side and the cloaked figure grasping it, the desert air hot and sticky as the blood that trickles from her wound.

And Akko, just a few paces away, too late to save her.

Silence stretches thin until the enemy sickeningly removes their blade, blood pouring from the now open wound as Diana sinks to the ground. Her eyes, glassy and hollow, grow dull as her body thumps into the sand like a dead weight.

 _“No!”_ Akko tears forward, screaming, yelling, a tornado of limbs and steel and pure desperation, fighting back until her opponent is nothing but a bloodied heap at her feet.

There is death everywhere—on her boots and hands, streaked across her weapon. On the white lace of her shirt’s cuff, tainted with a shock of bright red. Bile rises in Akko's throat when her eyes settle on Diana’s lifeless form, and immediately she drops her sword, sinking to her knees in the sand.

There is a secret to their immortality. In order to taste it, they must first die.

The first time is always the worst—you fade away, thinking this is it, only to be thrust back with a force so powerful, so _wrong._ It hurts and then it doesn’t. You die, and then you are alive again, your body meticulously stitching itself back together.

But there is also another secret—one Akko and Diana can barely bring themselves to mention out loud. Their immortality _isn’t_ truly that. They can still die, and they’ve seen it happen. An immortal becomes mortal once more. There is no sign, no warning. Their wounds stop healing and they simply die for the last time.

It’s a sword dangling precariously over their heads every day of their lives. In every fight and after every death. 

Akko collapses at Diana’s side, tears stinging behind her eyes as she waits for her to come back with bated breath. Before her, Diana lies eerily still. It seems to be taking much longer than usual for her to return, and the thought sends a shiver of fear down Akko’s spine. Diana should be back on her feet by now, fully healed and already wiping the blade of her scimitar on the sole of her boot.

“Diana,” Akko rasps, wringing her hands in her tunic, willing her to give Akko _something,_ anything. “Diana, come on. Come on, _please,_ you have to come back to me…”

Akko’s chest heaves as she sobs into Diana’s neck, begging with everything that she has, praying this won’t be the last time. Still, the woman she loves more than the stars themselves remains motionless under her hands, blood seeping into the sand as it leaves her body, staining everything red.

Akko’s vision blurs, so she closes her eyes. Blood and tears soak into the fabric of Diana’s shirt as her thoughts become a mantra of _please,_ and _come back to me,_ and _I can't live without you._

If someone had told Akko centuries ago about any of this—immortality, the soul-rending love she shared with the woman lying before her, all of it—she would have laughed right in their face.

She isn’t laughing now.

And if Diana can not find her breath again, maybe Akko never will. She can’t imagine laughter or joy in a world without Diana Cavendish, the other half to her very soul. They’ve survived the fall of civilizations, a multitude of revolutions, and so many wars across history that she’s lost count.

The thought of all of that being over, forever lost in the past, brings Akko to tears over and over until she can barely breathe.

Akko doesn’t recall how long she’s been lying there, only that it’s been far too long. Suddenly Diana is choking on air, her chest spasming. Akko scrambles upward, not even bothering to wipe away the tears she knows are spilling from her eyes and onto Diana’s face.

“Diana,” Akko chokes out, repeating her name like a prayer. “Diana, Diana. It’s okay, I’m here.”

Her hands reach up, unthinking, to cradle Diana’s face in her hands in a motion now as natural to her as breathing. She’s so beautiful, even in death, but much more so in life, and Akko has never been one to pray but damn it if anything could turn her it would be this.

Akko presses their foreheads together, her body shaking as Diana heaves in staggering breath after staggering breath, clutching at Akko’s arms like her life depends on it. Maybe it does.

No matter how many times, it’s always like this. They get better at it, she supposes, coming back… but that doesn’t stop it from _hurting._ Doesn’t stop it from tearing Akko’s soul apart every time she watches the light fade from Diana’s eyes.

Overwhelmed by grief and frustration, Akko curses herself for being too slow—remembering the enemy’s blade, swift and sinister as it sliced into Diana’s skin... In that moment Akko had seen red. Their assailant still lies face down in the sand a few paces away, but she doesn’t care about any of that right now.

Not when Diana is still holding on, gasping life back into her body.

“Ak— _ko,"_ Diana trembles beneath her hands, eyes still closed but she knows Akko’s touch like none other, knows she will always be the first one to reach her when she falls.

She always is, and always will be, the very first. Or perhaps _first_ isn’t right either, for her heart rebels at the implication that there could ever be anyone else. 

There will never be another person more perfectly suited for Diana—not after Akko. How could there be?

Akko is her first, yes, in so many wonderful ways, but also her _only._ The only one, in this life and the next—all the way to her last drawn breath.

Thankfully, her time hasn’t come just yet.

They can never know for sure when it will be the end. Calling themselves _immortals_ is a lie, a plea, a hope too pure for their blood-stained hands. They’ve lost others before—comrades whose time on earth had been cut far too short.

The remaining days loom heavily over Akko and Diana both, unable to know which death will be their last. This is why each time, Akko begs, to whatever gods there may or may not be, to give Diana back to her just one more time. 

Just once again. Please, to let them have _just one more_ life together...

Because any life without Diana could never be a life worth living.

“What,” Akko breathes, as soon as Diana recovers, the edge of her mouth curling into a fond grin. She grins because she never wants Diana to see the pain, the absolute horror Akko feels inside every time she leaves her without the guarantee that she will be coming back. “What took you so long?”

Diana wheezes, and it takes Akko a full minute to realize that she’s laughing. “I’m sorry,” she whispers finally, her breath warm and sweet as it travels over Akko’s lips. “I’m so sorry, my love.”

Akko spies the edges of Diana’s wound beginning to close beneath her tunic, and she sighs a breath of profound relief. “Just... don’t do it again,” Akko frowns, her voice unsteady. _Don't scare me like that ever again._

Diana’s mouth twitches into a wry smile. “I can’t promise you that.” She reaches up, delicately brushing her fingers over Akko’s cheek, who leans into her touch. _No matter how much I want to._

Akko knows this. Still, she allows herself the selfish wish that Diana wasn’t so stupidly altruistic.

She knows Diana is too good, too selfless not to die again. Not to stand up against forces of evil even if it means she will not come out unharmed. Akko knows, because she has always done the same. Dying by her side. “I know,” Akko’s lip trembles as she says it, and Diana tugs her down into a tearful kiss.

Akko feels herself shudder against Diana’s mouth, barely able to kiss her properly but it doesn't matter. Diana is alive, and she will kiss her again and again until she no longer can, until their time runs out and even after that if the gods are forgiving enough, merciful enough to allow them an afterlife. An eternity within an eternity, to be by each other’s side again and forever.

So she continues to kiss Diana, her knees aching in the sand, but it’s nothing compared to the pain of losing her for real. She’ll endure this discomfort for as long as she can until the sun dips below the horizon and they are forced apart in order to seek shelter from the cold.

Nights in the desert can be dreadfully frigid. Akko remembers this from the many she spent huddled alone, burying herself in the sand in a desperate attempt to stay warm, years before she and Diana had ever crossed paths. Years before she had died for the first time, and certainly not the last. Years that Diana spent dreaming of a red-eyed woman, scouring every corner of the world until she found her so she would not have to suffer this immortal life alone.

The desert may be cold, but Diana’s skin burns under her touch, more than enough to warm them throughout the night. Even still, it’s not good for them to remain exposed any longer—after all, once whoever it is that had sent their pursuer realizes they will not be returning, more are sure to come after them.

So they will run—through the desert and the cities and the jungles, helping people whenever and wherever they can. Doing the right thing when no one else will.

And maybe no one will remember all that they do... but this is a peace they’ve come to accept, because who are they if they don’t? Who are they, if they choose to live forever with hearts of bitterness and steel—cursing an already dying world to rot in its own waste. No, this isn’t who they are.

They are life, they are hope and love and everything that is good in the world. The good they can see in others, in the lives they fight so hard to protect.

It is with unimaginable relief that Akko finally settles down for the night, in a crowded hostel full of snoring men and sniveling infants. She pulls Diana close, buries her nose into her neck and _breathes._

It doesn't matter that they have nowhere to go in the morning. As long as they’re together, they will always be home.

**Author's Note:**

> oh god oh g
> 
> i seriously can't get over this AU...
> 
> in TOG universe, the immortals have dreams, or recurring visions of other immortals when they are apart. it only stops when they find or cross paths with them (which i find incredibly soft). that's what i meant here by diana dreaming of a "red-eyed woman" in that one part. if you have any questions on things that were unclear, please ask! i'm not expecting everyone to rly know all about the old guard, so... (but you should def watch it if you haven't!)
> 
> i'm just extremely emotional over the notion of diana dreaming of akko after her first death, and akko in turn beginning to dream of her. never seeing one another face to face, but knowing they aren’t alone, searching the world over until they find each other. i'm so weak... they’re soulmates...
> 
> thank you so much for reading, i had an absolute blast writing this!


End file.
